Page 98 of Infernal Hearts

Andrew nods. “I’m going to miss you.”

“I’ll miss you, too.” I squeeze his shoulder. “But it’s not the last time you’ll see me. I promise.”

Andrew smiles and stands up. He smooths his clothes and takes a deep breath. “Thank you, Jason.”

I stand up with him, pulling him into a hug. “I appreciate everything you’ve done. And I think you have big things ahead of you.”

“I hope I’m half as good as you one day.” He squeezes me back and pulls away. “And I’m happy for you both.”

“Thanks, Andrew. We’re happy, too.”

We say our goodbyes, continuing to wave until his car pulls out of the driveway and disappears down the road.

Levi grins out of the corner of my eye. “He’s a good kid. Brighter than I thought.”

I jab him in the side with my elbow. “Be nice.”

He lets out a mock gasp. “I’m always nice!”

“You’re snarky is what you are.” I put my arms around his waist. “But lucky for you, I like snark.”

He cocks his eyebrow. “Are you hitting on me, Dr. Blackwell?”

“That depends.” I pull him closer, our hips touching. “Is it working?”

He bends down and whispers in my ear. “Round four?”

“Round four.”

He takes me by my hand, and we run up to my bedroom. I don’t know how long we’ll be in there, but I don’t particularly care.

Epilogue

Levi

Rani’s face shines on the screen of my phone while we FaceTime. “I can’t believe you moved to Mexico.” She shakes her head.

“I figured it would make sense. Warm weather suits me.” I shrug. “I can’t believe you stayed in that tiny mountain town. It’s so unlike you.”

Rani laughs. “What can I say? Theresa likes my forked tongue.” She flicks it at the camera.

“You’re disgusting.”

“Says the sex demon. You’ve done more depraved things than I ever will.”

“And proud of it! But now that I have Jay, monogamy seems to agree with me.”

After a long talk about what Jay and I wanted from our new lives, we made some big decisions. First off, he wanted to embrace a more magical side of medicine. We decided somewhere warm would be a nice change of pace for him as opposed to icy winters. For me, I wanted somewhere we could go out and enjoy the energy of the people around us. The heightened sights and sounds were things he had to adjust to at first, but it only took him a couple of weeks. I gave him some tips and tricks along the way.

I called in a few favors with some creatures I’ve met over the last century and found a new practice for him. A djinn named Dr. Amadi hired him on the spot. Apparently, the name Blackwell is even more well-renowned in the magical medical community than we knew, and the fact that Jay has magic of his own was a huge perk. He’s been really enjoying it so far and making more money than he ever has in his life. Between that and what his father left him from his estate, we’ll be just fine.

For me, I wanted to stop making deals in the first place. Even if I was able to, I don’t need them anymore. I have power. I have wealth. What I want is a calm life. The deal I made with Jay was my last. I promised myself that. I’ve seen my fair share of disasters over the years and don’t want to cause any more pain. I’m perfectly happy being a househusband and spending time with a man and dog I love. Grover’s been especially happy for all the extra attention, since I can be around all the time.

The one thing I took with me from my time in the mountains was the journal on incubi. I’ve read it repeatedly, committing details to my memory. I always skip the last page, though. The passages bring me pain and terrible memories of what happened the night of the ritual. However, being the last true incubus, I need to know everything there is in case I ever want to make another.

Do I want to change someone? Bring them into the fold? Not particularly. I’m grateful for my life, but over a hundred years of aloof trauma isn’t something I’d wish on someone else. But I promised myself that if I ever made another of my kind, I would be kinder to them than Magnus ever was to Dane or me. Being an incubus is more than sex. The real key to unlocking our power is love, and right now I’m teaching myself how to give that fully.

If I ever changed anyone else, I wouldn’t keep them as locked down as Magnus did to me. I would give him a choice. I would be honest with him. And if the day ever came for him to find true love, I would help him become free.

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